Free Flicks During Spring Break in D.C.

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It’s spring break for just about all the public school kids in the Baltimore-Washington area.

If you’re racking your brain looking for things to do with them for the next week, the free movie scene is most definitely an option, with family-friendly flicks dominating this week.

The list also includes undeniable classics, recent Oscar nominees, and at the end of the week, a lesson in film history from the Library of Congress: a screening of one of the biggest flops in motion picture history, a Western epic from the director of “Deer Hunter,” Michael Cimino.

Here’s the full list of free movies for the week starting Saturday, April 13th:

Saturday:

12:30pm: “The Ferrari Dino Girl” (2009). Filmmaker Jan Nêmec’s fictionalization account of his escape from Czechoslovakia during the Soviet invasion. Then at 2:30, more than a dozen experimental short films from Finland will be screened under the heading “Hard Thawing” at the National Gallery of Art’s East Building Auditorium, 4th St. and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC.

2pm: “Monsters, Inc.” (2001). That monster in the closet is real. It’s just scaring your kids to power its world. A family movie at East Columbia Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, Md.

3pm: “Frozen” (2013). Because you just can’t “Let It Go.” A family movie at Shirlington Library, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va.

2pm: “A Band Called Death” (2012). A documentary about a proto-punk band that gained popularity only after it lived up to its dark name. Playing at the Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl., SE, Washington, DC.

2pm: “Adrift in Tokyo” (2007). An unlikely friendship forms between a loner and his debt collector. Part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the Freer Gallery’s Meyer Auditorium, 1000 Jefferson Dr., SW.

2pm: “Gettysburg” (1993). The epic depiction of the decisive Civil War battle. Playing at the historic State Theatre, 305 S. Main St., Culpeper, Va.

4pm: A double feature. “Night Train” (1959) and “The Last Day of Summer” (1958). Part of the series “Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” at the National Gallery of Art’s East Building Auditorium, 4th St. and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC.

4:30pm: A cinema verite double feature. “Third Avenue: Only the Strong Survive” (1980) and “On the Bowery” (1956). Part of the National Gallery of Art series “On the Street” at American University’s Forman Theater, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC.

6pm: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958). The classic Tennessee Williams tale of unrequited love in the Deep South. Part of the series “Cool Hand Paul” at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC.

8pm: “Mistress of the Apes” (1979). A woman looks for her list husband in Africa and finds a jungle of sexy maidens. Hosted by the Washington Psychotronic Film Society at McFadden’s, 2401 Pennsylvania Ave, NW.

Tuesday:

12pm: “Nasca Lines: The Buried Secrets” (2010). A NatGeo special on what may be one of the most significant archaeological finds in the world. Part of Tuesdays at Noon at the National Geographic Museum, 1600 M St., NW, Washington, DC.

1pm: “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” (2005). The movie that introduced the wider world to a cantankerous grandmother known as Madea. A spring break movie at Francis A. Gregory Library, 3660 Alabama Ave., SE, Washington, DC.

1:30pm: “About 111 Girls” (2012). A group of Kurdish women threaten mass suicide after being left alone by war and deprivation. Part of the Global Lens film series at Palisades Library, 4901 V St., NW, Washington, DC.

4:20pm: “42” (2013). The biopic about color-barrier-busting major leaguer Jackie Robinson. A second free screening will take place at 7pm. It’s part of the series “Play Ball! Hollywood and the American Pastime” at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.

6pm: A film by director Mike Leigh will screen as part of Georgetown Library’s April film series. Call (202) 727-0232 for details. 3260 R St., NW, Washington, DC.

11am: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (1971). A Golden Ticket admits a humble English boy and his grandfather into a world of pure imagination. An interactive movie singalong at Mountain Road Library, 4730 Mountain Rd., Pasadena, Md.

3pm: “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006). A family takes a cross-country trip in a VW bus to get their daughter into the pageant finals. Part of Road Movies in April at Columbia Pike Library, 816 S. Walter Reed Dr., Arlington, Va.

7pm: “Philomena” (2013). A journalist tries to track down a son who was taken away from her mother when she was forced to live in a convent. New Release Cinema at East Columbia Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, Md.

7pm: “Monsters University” (2013). The story of how Mike and Sully met before they became frightening coworkers. Family Movie Night at Linthicum Library, 400 Shipley Rd., Linthicum, Md.

7:30pm: “Heaven’s Gate” (1981). The re-edited, re-released effort to salvage a film that failed spectacularly a year before, about a little-known incident in the Old West. Playing at the Library of Congress Packard Theater, 19053 Mount Pony Rd., Culpeper, Va.

7pm: Dr. Who Happy Hour at the Black Cat. This week’s episode: “A Town Called Mercy,” from the 7th series. 1811 14th St., NW.

7pm: “Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer” (2013). A documentary about the Brooklyn based cameraman. Part of the National Gallery of Art series “On the Street” at American University’s Forman Theater, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC.